U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Grassland Easements
Existing collection in use without an OMB Control Number
No
Regular
11/30/2023
table that charts list comparision
Requested
Previously Approved
36 Months From Approved
3,615
0
11,955
0
2,115,000
0
The Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamp Act (16 U.S.C. 718d(b)(3)) and the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act (P.L. 109-59, section 1119) authorize the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) to enter into grassland easements with private landowners. Title 50 of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) contains land use management regulations for rights-of-way, mineral operations, and revenue sharing. Title 43 of the CFR contains regulations pertaining to the Secretary of the Interior and to the public lands. Title 41 of the CFR, Chapter 101, contains the Federal Property Management Regulations, and Chapter 102 contains the Federal Management Regulation. In addition, Service Manual Part 341 FW 6, Minimally Restrictive Conservation Easement Acquisition, discusses the Serviceâs real property acquisition authorities and responsibilities.
Vast grasslands once covered much of North America. Settlement, agriculture, and development have reduced prairie habitats to a patchwork of isolated grasslands in a sea of croplands, roads, and cities. Loss of grasslands is detrimental to people as well as to wildlife. Grasslands help reduce soil erosion caused by wind and water. They also filter chemicals, thus protecting our water supplies. Vegetation such as grass, forbs, and shrubs, help trap snow and rain. This allows a more regulated flow of precipitation to seep into the ground, recharging water supplies. Grasslands also provide season-long forage for livestock. Many wildlife species depend on grasslands for food, cover, and nesting sites. Protecting grasslands ensures that wildlife will be there for future generations to enjoy.
In the United States, the Prairie Pothole Region is located within the northern Great Plains in parts of Iowa, Minnesota, Montana, North Dakota, and South Dakota. Characterized by thousands of shallow, glacially formed wetlands known as potholes, the Prairie Pothole Region provides habitat for globally significant populations of breeding waterfowl. In addition, the Prairie Pothole Region is important as breeding and migratory habitat for many species of grassland and wetland-dependent birds.
The Service acquires easements from willing sellers only. Once approved, the easements are a permanent (perpetual) easement between the Service and all present and future landowners. A grassland easement is a legal agreement signed with the United States of America, through the Service, that pays the landowner to permanently keep their land in grass. Eligible property must lie within an approved county and have potential value to wildlife. Highest priority lands are large tracts of grassland with high wetland densities; and native prairie or soils most likely to be converted to cropland. Landowners retain the right to open or close their lands to hunting and trapping, as they have in the past. In addition, subsurface rights such as oil, gas, and minerals are not affected. However, the easement may limit enrollment or participation in U.S. Department of Agriculture programs where base acres of cropland are used to determine program eligibility, such as the Conservation Reserve Program. Landowners should contact their local Farm Service Agency for information regarding eligibility. Property subject to a grassland easement remains on local tax rolls. By selling easements, landowners receive funds to pay down debt, reinvest in capital improvements, or buy other lands to maintain and/or expand working lands.
PL:
Pub.L. 109 - 59 1119
Name of Law: Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act
US Code:
16 USC 718d(b)(3)
Name of Law: Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamp Act
On behalf of this Federal agency, I certify that the collection of information encompassed by this request complies with 5 CFR 1320.9 and the related provisions of 5 CFR 1320.8(b)(3).
The following is a summary of the topics, regarding the proposed collection of information, that the certification covers:
(i) Why the information is being collected;
(ii) Use of information;
(iii) Burden estimate;
(iv) Nature of response (voluntary, required for a benefit, or mandatory);
(v) Nature and extent of confidentiality; and
(vi) Need to display currently valid OMB control number;
If you are unable to certify compliance with any of these provisions, identify the item by leaving the box unchecked and explain the reason in the Supporting Statement.
Notification Requirement – Sale or Transfer of Lands (Private Sector)